The short Flat season at Cagnes-Sur-Mer has now come to an end and we have a brief interlude before the turf season moves North. I say brief, the first meeting at Saint-Cloud will take place this Thursday so there is very little time to reflect on what we have seen over the winter. However, whilst the meeting at Cagnes-Sur-Mer may not be to everyone’s liking, in the last few years it has been used as a launch pad for some of the most exciting 3-year-olds to run in France. Both Ace Impact, the 2023 Prix de L’Arc de Triomphe winner and Lazzat, the 2024 winner of the Prix Maurice de Gheest, began their campaigns at Cagnes. Did we see a horse of that calibre this year? Probably not. However, there is a case to be made for a few of the winners here being able to hold their own in better company in the months ahead. No Lunch will be the headline maker. He has won a Prix Saonois in good style and even though the likes of Hooking and Fast Raaj are beginning to get on in years, it still takes a fair effort to get the better of them on the PSF. He looks to finally be maturing as a 4-year-old and he should be able to take his form to another level, especially in the early part of the season. He was a late starter and was probably found wanting for experience when he was tried in pattern company last season, but Christophe Ferland looks to have found the key to him and with the yard 11-36 (30.5% SR) so far in 2025, he should be a horse to keep on side.
I like No Lunch, but the horse who excites me most is Aidan’s Phone. Trained by Patrice Cottier, the first thing to point out is that he has already been gelded and as a result, he is not a horse for the French Classics. However, that shouldn’t put you off this son of Prince Gibraltar, who has won twice on the turf at Cagnes-Sur-Mer, including a 2-length win in the Prix Policeman on his latest start. His page doesn’t necessarily suggest that he could be a top-class performer. His Dam reached a peak rating of 33.5-kilos, the equivalent to 71 in the UK, winning 4 of her 14 starts and although his full-sister, Princesse Saphir, has won 7 times, the majority of those victories have come in claiming company. Having been gelded before making his debut at Marseille in late October, he ran reasonably well on his first 2 starts, finishing 3rd on debut and then 2nd at Saint-Cloud 4-weeks later. The Saint-Cloud form has yet to be fully tested as the impressive winner, Percival, trained by Andre Fabre, has not reappeared. However, the 5th placed Kenchak did win on his next start and in any case, it is the form from Cagnes that interests me more.
Narrowly beaten by Killary King in the Prix de Grimaud in mid-January, he readily reversed that form in the Prix Policeman after winning his maiden in between and the way he saw out that race would offer plenty of hope that he will prove to be the best 3-year-old to have run at Cagnes over the winter. He can be keen in the early stages of his races, but once given a lead he settled nicely in the Prix Policeman and could be called the winner from the 3-furlong pole. Brought to the stands side by Hugo Besnier, he quickened superbly in the closing stages to win going away, running final furlongs of 11.66 and 12.74s, the fastest in the field on ground described as Soft (3,7).
As a gelding, he will need to be carefully campaigned in the early part of the season, but whilst he cannot run in the Classics themselves, he is eligible for the trial races and perhaps a race like the Prix La Force at Paris Longchamp or the Prix Noailles a week later might suit. The first half of the Flat season focuses so much on the Colts and Fillies that the geldings can sometimes be forgotten about. However, the likes of Calandagan and Lazzat have shown that being a gelding should not be a barrier to success and Aidan’s Phone is definitely worth keeping an eye on in the weeks ahead.
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